Review

Album Review: Dactah Chando - Global CityZen

Global Cityzen is Dactah Chando's sixth studio album. Still, the singer might be rather unknown for some of you because of his Canarian background. Unlike English reggae, his previous Spanish songs couldn’t reach a broad audience. For his recent project, Dactah Chando decided to record most of the songs in English. One thing is clear: His prominence as an artist will increase soon.

The record is an international piece of work, just like the singer's previous releases, Dactah Chando decided to work with the German producer and dub engineer Umberto Echo on this release. Owing to their long-term collaboration, the two have established a professional synergy. Once again on board, since her last participation on the album Ansestral, is Sara Lugo as a strong support for the backing vocals. A new addition this time is The Evolution, the live band of Gentleman who recorded the instrumentals at Planet Earth Studios, Berlin.

Global Cityzen is not only the first English album of Chando, but also his first straight roots release. Of course, it also has the dub note for which Umberto Echo is known (Dubal Citizen, Children Of Dub). But compared to earlier releases, where raw and heavy dubs were not an exception, the emphasis in this album is more on classic and modern roots (My Way, Children of Jah). This confirms that the concept of this LP is to conquer the global Reggae market. Dactah Chando is destined for international success with this album.

Global Cityzen, that is music to dream, music to let your thoughts run free, and the music to dance. Although life must be wonderful on the sunny island of Tenerife in the Atlantic ocean, where the Dactah lives and composes his music, worldwide crisis haven’t left him untouched. He repeatedly calls for more peace and unity among people (Global Cityzen). However, in spite of dark predicaments and doubts, the positive vibes always prevail.

The title song opens the album, it starts with the anthem-like brass section that will be the distinct musical feature of this tune. This powerful song will remain in the listener’s memory. My Way has slight pop influences and catchy lyrics. The Spanish equivalent to My Way is Sigue tu Camino, the only Spanish song on Global Cityzen, through which Dactah Chando expresses his appreciation for his Spanish supporters and fanbase. Ring The Alarm is recognized for the buzzing sound that underlines the urgent situation in this song: It is the last call to save the mother earth from destruction! The dreamy Children of Jah gives you the time to cool down before the energetic rhythm of Will Wait speeds up the tempo. Friend is the most personal song of this album; it addresses the fear of loss and how the Dactah holds on to Jah in times of melancholy and loneliness. Before reaching the end of the album with Sigue tu Camino and the dub versions Dubal Citizen and Children Of Dub, Dactah Chando strikes again with a big hit and anthem of life: Forever. A combination of reggae and a steppas beat reaches the climax when the electric guitar takes over for a special solo performance. You couldn’t have asked for a more perfect end of a strong album.

With Global Cityzen, Dactah Chando has not only became a nominee for the album of the year 2018, but once more proved that English and Spanish reggae should not be separated as two different genres. He has taken a big step into the direction where both styles coexist and should be accepted as one.

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